“Kurtz—Kurtz-- that means short in German—don’t it? Well, the name was as true as everything else in his life—and death. He looked at least seven feet long.” (Conrad, 74)
Seen here is almost a displeasure in Marlow’s “voice”. This short passage comes shortly after Marlow’s conversation with Kurtz’s admirer, and Marlow’s recognition of disbelief that Kurtz has ever conversed humble things with any man. Marlow says himself to the admire that “…Kurtz is no idol of [his],” (73) and that is reiterated here in the above passage. It also shows the irony/sarcasm that has frequented among Conrad’s writing. I say sarcasm because you can almost read the passage with an attitude that mocks the meaning of Kurtz’s name, like Marlow is actually scoffing at the thought that anything said about Kurtz by other men is considered real, or the truth.
1. In the first half of the book Marlow was so “excited” to meet Kurtz, or at least it seemed that way. This changes throughout the book. What events or thoughts contribute to this change of feeling towards Kurtz?
2. The whole passage that this part is taken from discusses Marlow’s genuine disgust of Kurtz and the way Marlow’s crew has been treated by Kurtz’s company. Do you think Marlow, deep down, still has admiration for Kurtz, perhaps hoping that Kurtz might “spare them”? (at this point in the story, not reading further)
In response to question two:
ReplyDeleteI think that Marlow wants his original faith in Kurtz to linger. At this point in the novel the reader can detect that Marlow's disillusionment with his situation is growing, including with the individuals with whom he interacts. I don't believe that the concept of being "spared" occurs to Marlow. If you look at his response to the death of his crewman and the direct threat on his life during the attack on the steamer Marlow does not fear death. The familiar sense of "uneasiness" seems to dominate his mind.
Question One:
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning, Marlow only hears great things of Kurtz because he is seen as the best Europe has to offer. However, as he gets closer towards Kurtz he realizes that this isn't necessarily the case. For example, as referred to in discussion, the heads on the stakes showed Marlow that Kurtz is flawed, the empire is flawed, and he doesn't want to follow Kurtz's footsteps.
Question One:
ReplyDeleteAs the book goes on Marlow and Kurtz start to take different paths, which causes them to become more and more different. Marlow starts out hearing about how great Kurtz is by everyone around him. When Maslow actually arrives to where Kurtz is, he realizes that Kurtz is not what he had expected. He had gone crazy, to the point where he was fine with killing others and putting their heads on spears outside his house. When Maslow saw the person Europe thought was so great, he realized that Europe's system had serious problems, and he does not want to be a part of that or become like Kurtz.
Before meeting Kurtz, Marlow hears from many people how great Kurtz is and how they idolize him. In the book Marlow says how he is looking forward to talking with Kurtz. However, when they meet and he sees how being in the jungle has affected Kurtz he becomes disgusted with him. He sees how even though Kurtz has ordered many people to be killed others such as the Russian, and the manager still look up to him because they know the process that he went through to do this and accept him for it. After seeing how greedy and savage Kurtz is Marlow becomes appalled with his actions.
ReplyDeleteI think the talks with the Russian sailor near Kurtz' station is what triggered the most formidable changes in Marlow's thought about Kurtz. Before that talk, the image of Kurtz in Marlow's mind is still more on idol side, he believed that Kurtz represented the best of European and faithfully hope that Kurtz will survive the harsh conditions. When the thought that Kurtz could be dead approached Marlow's mind, he was really disappointed and somewhat felt disoriented since may consider Kurtz as a 'land mark' who would ultimately help him to navigate his mind.
ReplyDelete